Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of drilling and processing of wells. More particularly, present embodiments relate to a system and method for coupling two tubulars of a mineral extraction system.
In conventional oil and gas operations, a drilling rig is used to drill a wellbore to a desired depth using a drill string, which includes drillpipe, drill collars and a bottom hole drilling assembly. During drilling, the drill string may be turned by a rotary table and kelly assembly or by a top drive to facilitate the act of drilling. As the drill string progresses down hole, additional drillpipe is added to the drill string.
Once the desired depth is reached, the drill string is removed from the hole and casing is run into the vacant hole. In some conventional operations, the casing may be installed as part of the drilling process. A technique that involves running casing at the same time the well is being drilled may be referred to as “casing-while-drilling.” Casing may be defined as pipe or tubular that is placed in a well to prevent the well from caving in, to contain fluids, and to assist with efficient extraction of product. When the casing is properly positioned within a hole or well, the casing is typically cemented in place by pumping cement through the casing and into an annulus formed between the casing and the hole (e.g., a wellbore or parent casing). Once a casing string has been positioned and cemented in place or installed, the process may be repeated via the now installed casing string. For example, the well may be drilled further by passing a drilling BHA through the installed casing string and drilling. Further, additional casing strings may be subsequently passed through the installed casing string (during or after drilling) for installation. Indeed, numerous levels of casing may be employed in a well.
Completion of these drilling and casing operations generally involves the coupling of many tubular components to one another, such as the drillpipe, drill collars, bottom hole drilling assembly, and pipes mentioned above, as well as other tubular components, such as quills, mud saver valves, saver subs, pipe drive systems, casing drive systems, plug launchers, and so forth. In many circumstances, these tubular components may be connected via a threaded connection and may be connected or torqued to a specified load or torque value to ensure that the tubular components do not loosen or become disconnected during use. Unfortunately, connecting or threading tubular components to such specifications can be difficult and time-consuming and generally require high-torque devices to connect and disconnect the tubulars.